Fawns, Calves and Chicks - Here, There and Everywhere

Last week I was in Boise where I had the opportunity to see my southwestern Idaho IDFG counterpart, Evin Oneale. He told me about a fawn he had come across in town the day prior, and the sad story that precipitated the event. A whitetail fawn, only a day or two old, was in the middle of a city street in Boise. Its mother was dead on the double yellow line. The doe had been hit and killed by a vehicle only moments before. Traffic was relatively light, so he turned on his flashers and picked up the fawn. Knowing for certain that the mother was dead, he wanted to get the fawn to a licensed rehabilitation center in the hopes it could be raised and released. Feeding the fawn every few hours using a formula recommended over the phone by the rehabilitator, he and his family kept the fawn overnight. He safely delivered it to the wildlife rehabilitation facility the following morning where experts could take care of it. His two daughters cried because they couldn't raise the fawn. What they did not know is that it is very difficult to raise a wild orphan and the time commitment is significant. Not to mention, without special permission or a rehabilitation license it is illegal in Idaho to keep and raise nearly all species of wildlife. And, if a fawn is raised with too much human contact, it will have a poor chance to ever be released and survive in the wild I had a different and far more pleasant newborn wildlife experience on Memorial Day weekend. I was out to get a load of firewood, when I saw a hen turkey milling around on the side of the road ahead of me. As I was some distance away, I only noticed the hen. When I got closer, the hen was on the tall grass and the grass was moving! A closer look revealed she had at least 12 tiny chicks (called poults) following her around. Even though they were probably less than a day old, they were picking around on the ground having already learned from their mother to look for insects and seeds to fill their stomachs. Having lived in areas with abundant wild turkey populations for many years, I have seen hens with young a few times. But I am sure I have never seen wild turkey poults that young. It was exciting enough that I just sat on the logging road and watched them feed away from the road until they were no longer visible. Wild bird and mammal species typically produce young in the spring. This timing allows the young to gain the strength and size needed to survive the challenges of the following winter, and in some species, the rigors and dangers of fall migration. Deer, elk and moose generally give birth to fawns and calves in late May and June. Most bird species typically hatch from late March through May. Some wild newborns will make it through the perilous first few days and weeksÉand others will not. Fortunately, reproductive potential is high for most wild animal species and despite losses of individuals, populations carry on. It is very common now for people to see deer fawns alone this time of year, with no mother visible in the surrounding area. It is easy to think the fawn has been "injured", "abandoned", or "orphaned". While fawns are occasionally injured or orphaned, they are never abandoned. An adult doe has extremely strong parenting instincts and will not abandon a fawn. Most offspring of wild animals are raised by one parent. It is not unusual that a person will observe a young wild animal alone several times in the course of a day. At the moment you see a young wild animal alone, the adult may be away in search of food to meet their own nutritional requirements; or gathering nourishment for their offspring. A more likely scenario is that the adult has detected your presence and is hiding nearby, keeping a distance away from their young to hide the newborn and to protect themselves from danger. Wildlife parents are very devoted to the care of their young. A person should never assume abandonment of a wild bird or mammal has occurred. A person, standing watch over a deer fawn or elk calf will cause the adult parent in remain hiding. People have brought fawns to the IDFG office after finding them alone. Contrary to common belief, if the fawn is taken back to the location where it was picked up, the doe will come back and take over again. Human scent on a fawn does not cause the doe to abandon her young. If the fawn was picked up in the last 48 hours, we tell the person to return the fawn. In most cases, they call back and say the doe showed up and the doe and fawn left the site together. If you find a seriously injured animal; or, when you know with certainty that a wild animal has lost its parent, intervention may be appropriate. Contact the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for instructions on the next step. In the spring when wildlife reproduction is at its peak, you may have the good fortune to observe a brood of newly hatched birds or a litter of young mammals with no adult in sight. Enjoy the sight but if nothing is obviously amiss, it is best to leave things alone.